Oil Cooler For A Motorized Vehicle

ABSTRACT

An oil cooler which is relatively compact in size, yet provides for efficient fluid movement to reduce the temperature of the oil without requiring an external fan, fins or the like is configured to include multiple, parallel paths (i.e., pipes) through which the motor oil flows and is cooled before returning to the system. A plurality of relatively short pipes, grouped in sets, is used to direct the flow of the motor oil from the intake (where the oil leaves the engine and is at its hottest temperature) to the outlet. By the time the oil circulates through the groups of pipes, it will have sufficiently cooled to allow it to return to the system. The contact between the flowing oil and the surfaces of the pipes creates the cooling action as the oil flows therethrough.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/258,788, filed Nov. 6, 2009 and herein incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an oil cooler for use with a motorizedvehicle such as a motorcycle, all terrain vehicle (ATV) or the like and,more particularly, to an oil cooler which is relatively compact in size,yet provides for efficient fluid movement to reduce the temperature ofthe oil without requiring an external fan, fins or the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Most motorcycle/ATV engines require cooling, either in the form of “aircooling” or “liquid cooling”. In either case, heat generated from thecombustion of gas needs to be removed in order for the motor to continueto operate in a proper fashion. In hot weather (and/or under heavyloads), the temperature of the engine oil can exceed recommended limits.Overheated engine oil loses its ability to lubricate and cool engineparts, ultimately resulting in shorter engine life, acceleratedcomponent fatigue and/or failure, increased “heat load” on the vehicle'sengine and radiator, etc. For this reason, auxiliary oil coolers arefrequently added to a motorcycle (or other similar vehicle) engine,where the oil flows through the oil cooler and the heat is transferredto the ambient air. Auxiliary oil coolers typically comprise a finnedheat exchanger and are typically mounted near the bottom of the engine.US Patent Publication 2009/0020261 issued to G. E. McMillan et al. onJan. 22, 2009 is exemplary of these prior art arrangements. In theMcMillan et al. configuration, the oil cooler includes a heat exchangerresting within a primary drive between an engine pulley and a clutchpulley. A fan within the primary drive pushes (or pulls) air through theheat exchanger. The fan itself may be electrically or mechanicallyoperated and mounted to a base plate or cover plate of the primarydrive.

An alternative prior art oil cooler arrangement takes the form of a pipethrough which the heated oil flows and experiences an amount of coolingas it moves through the pipe. One exemplary oil cooler of this type isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,994,150 issued to S. C. Kline on Feb. 7,2006. Here, the oil cooler comprises a single tube with an inlet forreceiving the elevated temperature oil and an outlet that delivers thecooled oil to a reservoir.

Unfortunately, there are several disadvantages associated with thesedesigns. For example, the oil cooler is subject to damage from roaddebris (e.g., rocks, sand, bugs, trash), which can directly impact thecooling fins and reduce (or eliminate) the cooling ability of thedevice. Also, many designs require relatively large fins to obtain thedesired degree of cooling, with the size of the oil cooler impacting theaesthetic qualities of the vehicle. Arrangements such as that of Klinehave been found to require an extended length of tubing to provide thedesired amount of cooling.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The needs remaining in the art are addressed by the present invention,which relates to an oil cooler for use with a motorized vehicle such asa motorcycle, all terrain vehicle (ATV) or the like and, moreparticularly, to an oil cooler which is relatively compact in size, yetprovides for efficient fluid movement to reduce the temperature of theoil without requiring an external fan, fins or the like.

In accordance with the present invention, an oil cooler is configured toinclude multiple, parallel paths (i.e., pipes) through which the motoroil flows and is cooled before returning to the system. A plurality ofrelatively short pipes, grouped in sets, is used to direct the flow ofthe motor oil from the intake (where the oil leaves the engine and is atits hottest temperature) to the outlet. By the time the oil circulatesthrough the groups of pipes, it will have sufficiently cooled to allowit to return to the system. The contact between the flowing oil and thesurfaces of the pipes creates the cooling action as the oil flowstherethrough.

It is an aspect of the present invention that the length and diameter ofthe individual pipes, as well as the spacing between adjacent pipes, aredesign factors that are taken into consideration for a specificutilization of the oil cooler. Indeed, it has been found that bysimultaneously introducing the oil into a group of pipes, the overallflow rate through the oil cooler is reduced when compared to prior artarrangements that use a single flow path through a cooling system.

Moreover, it is to be understood that while the cooler described in thefollowing description is utilized to reduce the temperature of motoroil, the cooler of the present invention is useful in reducing thetemperature of any fluid.

Other and further advantages and arrangements of the present inventionwill become apparent during the course of the following discussion andby reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the drawings, where like numerals represent like partsin several views:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an exemplary oil cooler formed inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a pipe that may be used within the exemplary oilcooler of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the exemplary oil cooler of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cut-away view of the exemplary oil cooler of FIG. 1, showingthe connections between the grouped sets of pipes and the reservoirsutilized to provide fluid movement through the cooler in accordance withthe present invention; and

FIGS. 5-10 illustrate the fluid flow between an intake connection and anoutlet connection, indicating in particular the simultaneous flow offluid through grouped sets of pipes.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a relatively compact and efficient oilcooler for use with air-cooled engines as found on vehicles such as, forexample, motorcycles or all-terrain vehicles (ATV's). FIG. 1 is anisometric view of an exemplary oil cooler 10 formed in accordance withthe present invention. Oil cooler 10 may include a pair of brackets 12,14 for attaching oil cooler 10 to an appropriate location on a vehicle(not shown), or other arrangements for attaching the oil cooler to avehicle may be utilized, as desired. Oil cooler 10 further includes anoil inlet hose connection 16 and an oil outlet hose connection 18. Theseconnections may further be mounted to oil cooler 10 so as to allow forflexibility in completing the connections to a fluid source and/ordrain, e.g., rotatable through 360 degrees.

In accordance with the present invention, oil cooler 10 furthercomprises a plurality of pipes 20 (also referred to as a “pipe system”)that is used to circulate the oil and provide sufficient contact betweenthe flowing oil and the ambient air to cool the moving oil as it travelsfrom inlet connection 16, through pipe system 20, and exits oil cooler10 at outlet hose connection 18.

As will be described in detail hereinbelow, the individual pipes formingpipe system 20 are interconnected within oil cooler 10 such that theintroduced oil will simultaneously pass through a collected group ofpipes. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, a set of three pipes aregrouped together, so that as the oil enters cooler 10 via inlet hoseconnection 16, the oil will simultaneously enter a first set of pipes20-1. The oil will move downwards through this first set of pipes 20-1,and then flow into a second set of pipes, shown as pipes 20-2 in FIG. 1.In a similar fashion, the oil will continue to circulate, passingthrough a third set of pipes 20-3 before exiting cooler 10 via outlethose connection 18. The embodiment of FIG. 1 is considered to be apreferred embodiment, utilizing three sets of pipes, each set comprisingthree separate pipes disposed in a parallel configuration. Thisarrangement of nine total pipes is considered to provide an optimum flowrate of oil through cooler 10 in terms of providing the desired amountof cooling to the oil. The spacing between adjacent pipes, as describedbelow, is also selected to enable efficient heat transfer from the coilto the atmosphere via the pipes.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary pipe 20 a, where both the length L andinner diameter d of pipe 20 a are selected to create an oil cooler thatprovides the desired amount of cooling to the flowing oil, yet is morecompact than various ones of the prior art arrangements. As mentionedabove, the specific values of L and d, as well as the spacing betweenadjacent pipes within pipe system 20, are all parameters that areselected and controlled by the individual designing a specific oilcooler embodiment.

A front view of oil cooler 10 is shown in FIG. 3, which specificallyshows the spacing S between adjacent pipes forming pipe system 20. Inthis case, spacing S is measured as the spacing between the center of afirst pipe 20 a and an adjacent pipe 20 b. It is to be understood thatthis spacing S, like the parameters L and d, is under the control of thedesigner of a specific embodiment of an oil cooler formed in accordancewith the present invention. Additionally, the number of individual pipesforming a specific set is also a design choice, where the use of threepipes to form a set as shown in the figures is considered to beexemplary only.

In contrast to some prior art arrangements that utilize a single pathfor fluid movement, the use of shorter, grouped pipes for simultaneouslymoving the fluid in accordance with the present invention results in amore compact arrangement, which is also more efficient in cooling theoil by exposing more of the oil to the ambient air in a smaller space.In addition, by sending the oil through the grouped pipes 20, the speedof the oil flow through the cooler is decreased, thereby minimizing airresistance. The spacing S between the pipes is also preferablycontrolled, in accordance with the present invention, to allow for roaddebris to easily pass between the pipes and thus overcome theblockage/damage associated with prior art oil coolers that use finnedarrangements. Furthermore, inasmuch as enclosed pipes are used, the oilcooler of the present invention is much less sensitive than most priorart coolers to any blockage created by dirt or debris.

FIG. 4 is a cut-away view of oil cooler 10, showing a particularcombination that allows for efficient fluid flow between the varioussets of pipes 20-1, 20-2 and 20-3 forming pipe system 20. As shown, oilcooler 10 includes an inlet chamber 30 that accepts the incoming(relatively hot) oil via inlet hose connection 16. Chamber 30 is sizedand located so as to be in fluid communication with the top openings ofthe first set of pipes 20-1. The arrows in FIG. 3 show the downwardmovement of the fluid along pipes 20-1 into a second chamber 32. As therelatively hot oil moves downward, it will contact the walls of eachpipe within first set 20-1 (in this example, a set of three pipes) andexperience a first degree of cooling. As the “cooled” oil enters secondchamber 32, it will move towards the bottom openings of the second setof pipes 20-2. The fluid is then introduced to pipes 20-2 and is forcedto flow upwards through pipes 20-2 into a third chamber 34. The oilexperiences an additional degree of cooling as it passes through pipes20-2.

In similar fashion, the oil within third chamber 34 will flow into thetop openings of the third set of pipes 20-3, where it will flowdownwards and be further cooled, thereafter entering a fourth chamber36. The cooled oil is then directed outward into outlet hose connection18, where it will then return to the motor (not shown).

FIGS. 5-10 illustrate in detail this flow of oil through cooler 10 inthe manner described above. The process begins, as shown in FIG. 5, withthe introduction of the “hot” oil through inlet connection 16 into firstchamber 30. The open top ends of first pipe set 20-1 are attached to thebottom of first chamber 30, so that the hot oil will flow out of firstchamber 30 and enter first pipe set 20-1, flowing downward as shown inFIG. 5.

As the hot oil is continued to be introduced into first chamber 30 viainlet connection 16, the oil flows downward, passing through and fillingfirst pipe set 20-1. The flowing oil will thereafter enter secondchamber 32 through a set of bottom openings in first pipe set 20-1, asshown in FIG. 6. In accordance with the present invention, the contactbetween the flowing oil and the surface area of each pipe forming firstpipe set 20-1 will cause some cooling of the oil to take place. Theflowing oil will continue to collect in second chamber 32 and then bedirected upwards through end openings in second pipe set 20-2, as shownin FIG. 7. The flow of the oil through second pipe set 20-2 will furthercool the oil passing therethrough, by the contact between the oil andthe surfaces of the individual pipes forming second pipe set 20-2.

The movement of the cooling oil continues, with the oil filling secondpipe set 20-2 and then collecting in a third chamber 34, as shown inFIG. 8. As the oil begins to fill third chamber 34, it will start toenter the openings in the individual pipes forming third pipe set 20-3.This step in the process is shown in FIG. 9. Again, the cooling oil willflow downward within third pipe set 20-3 and be cooled as it contactsthe surfaces of the individual pipes. The flowing oil will then collectin a forth chamber 36, where it will thereafter be discharged from oilcooler 10 via outlet connection 18, as shown in FIG. 10.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the oil cooler is mounted tothe base of the vehicle radiator (not shown), where the temperature ofthe water, as well as air coming through the radiator, are at theirrelative lowest values within the vehicle's engine. By virtue of placingthe oil cooler at this location, the cooler water temperature willfurther enhance the heat loss experienced by the flowing oil. By usinggroups of pipes with three pipes in each set, where each pipe has alength of approximately 90 mm and an inner diameter of approximately 8mm, cooling on the order of 15 degrees C. of the oil and 17 degrees C.of the water were obtained. This use of groups of shorter length pipes,as opposed to single and/or longer pipes within the cooler, createsextra cooling length for the oil while optimizing space within thecooler.

It is obvious that the oil cooler of the present invention may use moreor less than three pipes in each set, and may use more or less thanthree separate sets of pipes. This particular embodiment, however, hasproven to be both compact and efficient in removing heat from the oil,as well as the water within the radiator. Moreover, the cooler itselfmay be used to reduce the temperature of any moving fluid, motor oilbeing only one specific fluid. In general terms, however, the scope ofthe present invention is intended to be limited only by the claimsappended hereto.

1. A cooling system for a heated fluid, the system comprising an inletconnection for receiving fluid at an elevated temperature; an outletconnection for directing cooled fluid away from the cooling system; anda plurality of pipes disposed between the inlet connection and theoutlet connection, where the plurality of pipes are grouped to form setsof pipes including a first set of pipes coupled to the inlet connectionfor receiving the heated fluid, and a second set of pipes are coupled tothe outlet connection for directing the cooled fluid away from thecooling system, the first and second sets of pipes formed to be in fluidcommunication with each other.
 2. The cooling system as defined in claim1 wherein the first and second sets of pipes comprise the same number ofindividual pipes.
 3. A cooling system as defined in claim 1 wherein eachpipe within the plurality of pipes comprises essentially the same lengthL and essentially the same diameter d.
 4. A cooling system as defined inclaim 1 wherein the individual pipes forming the plurality of pipes arespaced apart by approximately the same distance S.
 5. A cooling systemas defined in claim 1 wherein the first set of pipes comprises at leasttwo pipes having essentially the same length L and essentially the samediameter d and disposed in a parallel relationship with each other.
 6. Acooling system as defined in claim 1 wherein the second set of pipescomprises at least two pipes having essentially the same length L andessentially the same diameter d and disposed in a parallel relationshipwith each other.
 7. A cooling system as defined in claim 1 wherein thesystem further comprises one or more additional sets of pipes disposedbetween the first set of pipes and the second set of pipes, eachadditional set disposed with end openings of each additional set coupledto end openings of adjacent sets of pipes.
 8. A cooling system asdefined in claim 7 wherein each additional set of pipes comprises thesame number of individual pipes.
 9. A cooling system as defined in claim7 wherein the system comprises at least one additional set of pipesdisposed between the first set of pipes and the second set of pipes,such that the fluid flowing through the first set of pipes will enterthe at least one additional set of pipes and flow therethrough into thesecond set of pipes.
 10. A cooling system as defined in claim 1 whereinthe first set of pipes receives the heated fluid essentiallysimultaneously and the second set of pipes directs away the cooled fluidessentially simultaneously.
 11. An oil cooler for a motorized vehiclecomprising: an inlet connection for receiving oil at an elevatedtemperature; a first chamber coupled to the inlet connection forcollecting the elevated temperature oil as it enters the oil cooler; afirst set of pipes coupled to the first chamber for receiving theelevated temperature oil, the oil then flowing through the first set ofpipes and receiving a first amount of cooling as it passes therethrough;a second chamber, coupled to the first set of pipes for collecting theflowing oil as it exits said first set of pipes; a second set of pipescoupled to the second chamber for receiving the cooling oil as itcollects within the second chamber, the oil then flowing through thesecond set of pipes and receiving a second amount of cooling; a thirdchamber, coupled to the second set of pipes for collecting the flowingoil as it exits the second set of pipes; a third set of pipes coupled inparallel to the third chamber for receiving the cooling oil as itcollects within the third chamber, the oil then flowing through thethird set of pipes and receiving a third amount of cooling; a fourthchamber, coupled to the third set of pipes for collecting the cooled oilas it exits the third set of pipes; and an outlet connection coupled tothe fourth chamber for directing cooled oil away from the oil cooler.12. An oil cooler as defined in claim 11 wherein each set of pipescomprises the same number of individual pipes.
 13. An oil cooler asdefined in claim 11 wherein each pipe comprises essentially the samelength L and diameter d.
 14. An oil cooler as defined in claim 9 whereinadjacent pipes are spaced apart by essentially the same distance S. 15.A method of cooling a fluid comprising the steps of: introducing thefluid into a first set of pipes; passing the fluid through the first setof pipes to impart a first amount of cooling thereto; collecting thefluid exiting the first set of pipes in a first chamber; transferringthe fluid from the first chamber into a second set of pipes; passing thefluid through the second set of pipes to impart a second amount ofcooling thereto; collecting the fluid exiting the second set of pipes ina second chamber; and discharging the fluid from the second chamber. 16.The method as defined in claim 15, wherein prior to performing thedischarging step, the method further comprises the steps of: passing thefluid through at least one more set of pipes to impart additionalcooling thereto; and collecting the fluid exiting the at least one moreset of pipes in an associated chamber.
 17. The method as defined inclaim 15 wherein the number of pipes forming the first set is equal tothe number of pipes forming the second set.
 18. The method as defined inclaim 15 wherein the fluid comprises heated motor oil.
 19. The method asdefined in claim 15 wherein the fluid is introduced into the first setof pipes by passing through an inlet.
 20. The method as defined in claim15 wherein the fluid is discharged from the second chamber by passingthrough an outlet.